


Slices of Dipcifica

by LeelaSmall



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Starting A Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 19:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeelaSmall/pseuds/LeelaSmall
Summary: Dipper Pines and Pacifica Northwest have always had a complicated relationship, but now they can actually make it official. Join them as they go from dating to engaged, to married and to having kids. [Original publish date: January 6, 2017]





	1. The Start of Something Great

**Author's Note:**

> This first chapter contains events that took place during the final chapter of my story Catching a Shooting Star, so I advise you to read it to avoid any confusion

_'_ _Well, I guess this is it…'_

Dipper Pines swirled his drink absentmindedly as he watched the people who passed by him without much interest. It was his eighteenth birthday party, but the brunet didn't really feel like celebrating. For him and his sister, that small gettogether they were having in the living of the Mystery Shack held a bittersweet double meaning, since it was both a birthday party and a farewell party. After that day, he and Mabel would have to return home to start college, which also meant they would be heading their separate ways and wouldn't be seeing much of each other for the next four years or so. That thought alone made his stomach tighten.

Sighing through his nose, he brought the glass up to his lips and took a sip, the taste of the orange juice not feeling too sweet today. He eyed the room again to see if anything had changed, but everything still looked the same. Grenda was still stuffing her face with everything on the desert table and Candy was still showing off her new robot boyfriend to everyone in the room. Quite frankly, Dipper didn't know what she was thinking when she built herself a robot that looked so… feminine. She clearly needed to stop watching so much anime.

What did catch his eye, though, was the fact that someone was looking at him. And not just someone; a blonde he had not seen in a very long time.

He caught sight of Pacifica Northwest looking at him from the corner of his eye. She had her back turned to him as she faced the desert table, her head slightly turned back to look at him as she held an empty glass in one hand and a can of Pitt Cola in the other. When he turned his head towards her, she quickly turned hers back to the items in her hands and poured herself a drink.

Dipper cocked a brow at her reaction. Sure, they had had their problems in the past, but that was no reason for her to be avoiding him. They had settled their differences back when he helped her get rid of that ghost in her house. So, what was her problem?

He turned his head back around to look at something else and tried to forget all about it, but when he looked again she was gazing at him once more, which she tried to hide again. This happened a couple more times until he decided that enough was enough and walked up to her. He cleared his throat and she jolted upwards, dropping the bag of Chipackerz she was holding as she spun around to face him.

"D-Dipper!" she stuttered, awkwardly waving at him. "H-hi!"

"Hey, Pacifica." He greeted her, smiling slightly when he noticed the light blush on her cheeks. "What's up?"

"Oh, not much…" she giggled and twirled a finger in her hair, avoiding eye contact with the brunet before her. "Just enjoying this awesome party you've got going on here. Your uncles sure did a great – "

"Why are you avoiding me?"

He noticed her face pale as she finally looked him right in the eye, her expression one of utter confusion at his sudden remark and the now stern look on his face.

"Wh-what?" she asked. "I'm not – "

"You've been avoiding me all morning." He declared as he crossed his arms. "Don't think I didn't notice how you keep looking at me without giving me the time of day."

"N-no, it's not that!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her. "I just – "

"Look, I get that you're sore because all that mess that happened five years ago made your family go bankrupt, but that's no reason to behave like that."

Pacifica's mouth quickly closed and her arms dropped, her eyes widening in what seemed like disbelief.

"Is that what you think this is about?" she questioned incredulously. "My family losing their fortune?"

"Well, what else could it be about?" he asked rhetorically with a shrug.

He saw the blonde's cheeks flush again, but this time in anger. She balled her hands into fists and narrowed her eyes, looking like she was about ready to murder him right there.

"You're a jerk, Dipper Pines!" she said as she pushed him away and headed towards the exit.

Dipper stared at her as she left the room without understanding what had just happened. If that wasn't the reason she was acting like that, then what was? He couldn't really think of anything else…

He decided to let it go for the moment and grabbed himself another drink, although he couldn't get the image of Pacifica's angry face out of his head.

* * *

"Maybe he's… busy?"

"With what? He told Time Baby he'd never go back to his evil demonic ways, which I think gives him a whole lot of free time."

Dipper's phone buzzed in his pocket right in the middle of the conversation he was having with his sister, his eyes widening when he pulled it out and looked at the screen.

"I, uh… I have to go… do something." He stammered, his face reddening as he made his way towards the door. "I'll be right back."

The brunet slowly closed the attic door behind him, glancing back down at his phone as he walked down the stairs. He had forgotten he had given Pacifica his number that one time, which had allowed to her to send him a text that made him feel a bit uneasy:

_Downstairs. Break room. NOW._

He gulped almost unconsciously as he reached the hallway and turned left, where he stood in front of the door to the room where he and Mabel had found the electron carpet and which was now Ford's room, and occasionally the break room.

The door was ajar, but he felt it was best to knock, just in case. When no answer came from the other side, he gently pushed the door and peered inside. The room was dark and there didn't seem to be anyone in there, so he decided to enter and take a closer look.

"Pacifica?" he called out as he looked around, although there was no sign of her. Maybe she was still on her way.

Suddenly he heard the door slam hard behind him, which caused him to jump and quickly turn around. There stood a clearly displeased Pacifica, her left hand still on the door.

"You've got some nerve, Pines!" she exclaimed as she took a few steps towards him, menacingly pointing a finger at him.

"Me? What did I do?" Dipper asked confusedly.

"You have no right to accuse me of being just another dumb blonde who only cares about how much money she has!" she replied as she poked her finger on his chest. "How shallow do you think I am?"

"Alright, first of all, I said nothing of the sort. Second – "

"I know what you meant! I'm not stupid, Dipper!"

"OK, fine. I'm sorry and I take it back, but I still didn't like the way you treated me earlier."

"I didn't do anything to you!"

"Exactly! You just decided to ignore me on purpose and you still won't tell me why!"

Pacifica groaned loudly in frustration, burying her reddened face into her hands as she turned away from him.

"Oh my God, why do you have to be like that?" she said not a minute later, her tone making it clear that her teeth were clenched.

"Like what?" Dipper inquired, arching a brow.

"Like you always need to find out the truth about everything!" she yelled as she spun around, looking even angrier than before. "You act like everything around you is a mystery that you desperately need to solve!"

"Well, I wouldn't feel that way to begin with if people didn't keep secrets from me!" he retorted loudly.

"And what the heck makes you think that I'm keeping anything from you, huh?"

"I know you are! I've known you for a long time, Pacifica!"

"If you really knew me that well, you wouldn't've said what you did earlier!"

"I already apologized for that!" he practically screamed. "Geez, if you hate me that much, then why don't you just admit it?!"

"I don't hate you, you moron!"

"Well, you're not doing much to prove me wrong!"

"God, how can you possibly be such an idiot?!"

"Says the girl who can't even pronounce the word 'sharing'. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if you cracked open a book once in a while."

Next thing he knew her palm came in contact with his cheek with immense force, a loud slapping sound echoing through the empty room. He took his hand up to his face as stinging pain shot through his cheek, observing the now furious blonde as she breathed through her flared nostrils.

He had to admit he had gone too far. He had never seen Pacifica this mad; it was almost frightening.

Suddenly she grabbed his shirt with both her hands, and Dipper mentally braced himself for what she was about to do to him. He expected nothing other than a savage beating.

What he wasn't expecting was for her to pull him towards her so abruptly that their lips crashed with great force.

Dipper's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as she continued to kiss him hard, her grip on his shirt never lessening. He could feel his face heating up as he tried to process what was happening. All this time he thought Pacifica resented him for some reason, but clearly he had been wrong. Still, to have the blonde make out with him was the last thing he anticipated. He would be lying if he said he had never wanted that to happen, and even more if he said he wasn't enjoying it. Pacifica's lips were soft and seemed very experienced.

Just as he began to feel his knees weakening, she pulled away and looked up at him with quite an aroused expression as she panted heavily.

"Does this explain everything to you?" she exhaled, still holding onto his shirt.

"I… I g-guess so." He stammered, still trying to accept what had just happened. "But you could've said something earlier, you know?"

"Shut up."

She pulled him towards her again, but this time Dipper was ready. As soon as their lips met, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her over to the couch.

They remained like that for what felt like an eternity, their mouths never parting by even an inch. Dipper was in complete bliss, the feeling of her lips against his and her fingers intertwined in his messy brown locks sending him over the edge with ecstasy. When he woke up that morning he had no clue something like that could happen, but now he never wanted it to end. He just wanted to remain in that room with Pacifica in his arms forever.

Alas, their make out session was interrupted by what sounded like someone… snorting? They quickly opened their eyes and turned their heads towards the door, where they saw Mabel pressing her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from laughing at the smooching couple.

"M-Mabel?!" Dipper's voice cracked humorously in embarrassment, his cheeks reddening even more. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She smirked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "If you two lovebirds are done sucking face, I think Sir Dippingsauce needs to finish packing."

He released a loud groan as his sister turned around and walked away, giggling giddily to herself.

Pacifica couldn't help but laugh a bit herself as she looked at his annoyed face. His expression softened when he noticed how adorable she looked, her naturally pale skin now a bright shade of red.

"I guess I should go, huh?" he said as he loosened his grip on her.

Pacifica leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a very tight hug, which he gladly returned. He didn't want to leave, and neither did she, but they both knew he didn't have a choice.

"You better call me as soon as you get home." She whispered sultrily into his ear and pressed her lips against his cheek, sending chills down his spine.

She rose from her spot on the couch and adjusted her clothes and hair as best as she could, keeping her yes on his the entire time.

"I better go out the back door to avoid rising any suspicions." She declared as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Have a nice trip."

She began to make her way towards the door but Dipper quickly stopped her by turning her around and attacking her lips with a passionate kiss of his own, pushing her against the wall just as he felt her hands wrap around his torso. He pulled back a few seconds later, pressing his forehead against hers as they both tried desperately to catch their breath.

"I better go first." He panted. "It's safer that way."

"OK." She replied with a smile, moving her hands up to his shoulders.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too."

She planted another kiss on his other cheek, squeezing his shoulders as she did. He moved away from her and walked towards the door, from where he waved at her. She waved back, giving him the biggest smile he had ever seen on her.

As soon as he was out of the room, Dipper released a deep sigh. He had never felt so happy in all his life, not even when he had first met his great-uncle Ford. His heart was beating as fast as it could and his cheeks hurt from smiling so much, not to mention how hot they were. He never thought Pacifica reciprocated his feelings towards her, but now that he knew she did, he almost couldn't believe it. And he really hoped they would last.

For someone who had thought that day was going to be a bad one, it turned out to not be so bad after all.


	2. Be Mine Forever

Winter in New York isn't always the easiest thing to endure, but no one who's ever been to the city during that time of year will ever tell you it wasn't worth it. That night the air was particularly crisp; a perfect match for the fresh coat of snow that covered the streets. It was the perfect scene for the final day of the year.

Dipper felt a shiver run through his body as he blew some hot air into his hands, trying desperately to warm himself up. Even though he was wearing two shirts and a sweater underneath his coat, the California boy just wasn't used to such low temperatures.

He glanced down at the night lights as he rubbed his hands. From that height he could see just about all of the city, especially Times Square. He had a clear view of the building and the ball atop of it, shining bright and ready to begin its descent to celebrate the new year. The streets were already crowded, waiting impatiently to begin the countdown.

Dipper checked the time on his phone: five minutes to midnight. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat, his fingers brushing against the small box inside his right one. He immediately breathed in, the freezing air burning his throat. He suddenly felt very nervous, even though he had planned everything down to the last detail a long time ago.

Turning away from the edge of the glass balcony, he leaned against it as he observed the gorgeous young blonde inside the room arguing over her phone, a sight that instantly brought a smile to his face. He almost couldn't believe that he and Pacifica had been dating for four years. It seemed like just yesterday they had proclaimed their love for each other, and now here they were, celebrating the new year together in a penthouse suite overlooking Times Square.

They had planned this night as soon as they finished college. After he was offered a job as a Professor at West Coast Tech and Pacifica's dad got her working as a corporate lawyer at one of his companies, they decided a proper celebration was in order, and since the end of the year was the only time they wouldn't be ridiculously busy, it seemed like the perfect time for them to celebrate and cut loose. And truth be told, they really needed it.

"Urgh, why do I have to bothered even when I'm on vacation?" Pacifica groaned as she stepped out into the balcony, immediately hugging herself as she felt the cold air against her skin. "God, it's freezing out here."

"Here, allow me." He said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks." She smiled at him. "Where's that darn room service? I ordered a bottle of champagne almost an hour ago."

"They might be running low. It is the night when people order the most champagne, after all."

"I guess. But I wanted tonight to be perfect, and that's the only thing missing."

"Trust me, not even the lack of alcohol can ruin this moment." Dipper declared, tightening his grip around her.

"Well, you certainly are in a good mood." She teased him as she hugged him close. "What's gotten you so optimistic?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It's a beautiful night and I'm in New York with the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Wow, you sure turn into a cheeseball when you're happy." She giggled.

Dipper checked the time again. One minute until midnight.

"Well, I only have one reason to turn into a cheeseball." He declared, stepping away from the balcony to look into her eyes as he grasped her hands. "And that's you."

"Alright, I think now you're overdoing it." She said, a small blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Not yet, I'm not."

Pacifica opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when the brunet knelt down in front of her without breaking eye contact or letting go of her hands.

Dipper became even more nervous when he noticed the shocked look on her face. He just hoped she couldn't feel his hands shaking against hers.

"How's this for overdoing it?" he chuckled nervously.

"Dipper, what're you doing?"

"Something I've been planning to do for a long time."

He released her hands and reached inside his pocket, from where he retrieved a small black velvet box. He slowly opened it and showed her the diamond ring inside, to which the blonde instantly covered her mouth with her hands in disbelief.

It felt like time had stood still and they were the only ones moving. He was so absorbed in the moment he didn't even hear the crowd begin the countdown.

"Pacifica, I can't imagine my life without you anymore." He began.

_"_ _10… 9…"_

"Every day I'm with you makes me so happy… and I want that happiness to last forever."

_"_ _8… 7…"_

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To grow old with you…"

_"_ _6… 5…"_

"Dipper..." she whispered as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

_"_ _4… 3…"_

"Pacifica Elise Northwest…" he continued.

_"_ _2…"_

"Will you marry me?"

_"_ _1…"_

"Yes! YES!" she exclaimed before dropping to her knees and throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his.

_"_ _HAPPY NEW YEAR!"_

Dipper held onto her waist as he kissed back, feeling some of her tears on his face. His nerves were completely gone and replaced with absolute joy. It seemed like the celebrations he could hear on the street weren't for the New Year, but for him and his new fiancée.

Suddenly Pacifica broke the kiss and grabbed his coat's collar, her eyes half-lidded and her face flushed red as she gave him a devious smirk.

"I think it's about time we start our own celebrations." She said in a sultry tone.

"Agreed." Dipper replied as they both stood up.

She kept her grip on his coat as she pulled him into the room. As Dipper slid the door close behind him, he thanked every entity he knew for how lucky he had been.


	3. A Different Kind of Love

You know those situations when you're awkwardly sitting next to a person you know and you're both uncomfortably silent because neither of you know what to say or do? Well, this was one of those situations. But in this case the silence wasn't due to a lack of topic, neither was it awkward or uncomfortable. It was just necessary.

Dipper tried desperately to keep his eyes on the road ahead, but his gaze kept drifting to his wife in the passenger seat. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel just as he felt his heart sink due to the sight of Pacifica with her head against the window as she stared absentmindedly at the road, her eyes red and glazed.

He hated seeing her like this, but he understood her sadness. He wasn't very happy himself, but he knew it affected her more than him.

And to think that only three months ago they were doing so great…

…until he decided to ask that stupid question.

"Pacifica, do you want children?"

In a way, Dipper expected Pacifica to be surprised or even shocked, but she seemed perfectly fine. She calmly took a sip from her coffee as she pondered over the question.

"Mmm… not really, no." she replied as she set her mug down on the breakfast table. "Do you?"

"Kind of…" he answered. "I've always pictured myself having son to whom I could teach everything I know."

"Oh, so you want a Little Dipper! Or should I say a…" she snorted before continuing. "…Mason Junior?"

"Actually, I would name him Tyrone." He retorted, a little annoyed to hear his real name. "Why don't you want kids?"

"Because kids are terrible! They cry all night, they make horrible messes, they're just… disgusting!"

"Oh, come on, they're not that bad. Sure, they might be a handful when they're young, but once they grow up it gets a lot easier."

"You say that because you're not the one who would give birth to it. I'll have you know worked hard to maintain this figure!" she stated, gesturing at her body. "And I'm not about to let a kid ruin it."

"Did you hear yourself right now?" Dipper asked incredulously. "Do you realize how selfish you're being?"

"Maybe, but my point still stands." She said as she crossed her arms. "No kids for me, thanks."

"Wow… Pacifica, I'm surprised at you." He commented drily as he stood up. "Looks like you didn't change at all."

He saw her eyes widen right before he turned away and left the room to go to work. That issue angered him more than he had let on, and he just couldn't look at her anymore.

As the day went by, his anger began to simmer down to a point that he started to wonder if he had been too hard on her. If Pacifica didn't want kids, then he couldn't force her. He even felt bad for getting mad at her for such a thing. They had been married for three years, and it would be ridiculous to ruin everything for such a stupid reason.

He bought her a bouquet of roses as soon a she got out of work and hurried home to apologize. He knew she was home, since she always left work before him. Upon opening the front door, he found it odd that the house was dark and there seemed to be no sign of any other person in there.

"Pacifica?" he called out as he looked around for the blonde.

"In here!" she replied from across the hall shortly after.

Dipper tightened his grip on the bouquet he was holding and went over his apology in his head as he made his way up down the hallway, stopping right in front of their bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed the handle.

"Pacifica, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was wrong to criticize you like that." He said as he opened the door. "And I understand if you're still mad at –"

His ability to speak immediately faltered upon the sight of his wife in a lacy hot-pink nightie, splayed out on their bed in a rather provocative pose. Around her were numerous scented candles to build ambience, along with smooth saxophone music emanating from a boombox in the corner.

"Welcome home, Mr. Pines." She purred, her tone deep and seductive.

"Pa… Pacifica?" he stammered as his brain struggled to process the whole scenario before him. "Wha-what is all this?"

"Well, I felt bad about the way I acted earlier, so I wanted to make it up to you." She declared as she got off the bed and walked up to him. "So what do you say if we…" she grabbed him by his necktie as she pressed her chest against his. "…make a baby?"

Dipper could feel himself about to pass out, so before he lost all the strength in his body, he moved his head forward and hungrily attacked Pacifica's lips with his own. She held onto his neck as she felt his hands wander down to her hips in a desperate attempt to bring their bodies even closer to each other, moaning loudly against his lips.

She gasped for air when he freed her mouth to move down to her neck, kissing and nibbling passionately.

"I'll take that as a yes." She panted, gripping his shoulders as tightly as she could.

She released a loud yelp when he suddenly picked her up and dropped her onto the bed. As he threw himself on top of her and continued to kiss down to her collarbone, Pacifica knew that was going to be a night she would never forget.

* * *

"It's negative again…"

Pacifica dropped back onto the mattress and groaned loudly as she continued to stare at the pregnancy test in her hand. She could almost feel that single red line mocking her.

"Are you sure?" Dipper asked from the other side of the phone. "Maybe you should take the test a few more times."

"I've already done this three times! It can't get more negative than this!"

"Darn… I was sure this time was the one."

"Me too…" she sighed. "Dipper, we've been trying for three months and nothing's happened. I'm starting to think that something might be wrong with me."

"Don't say that. There's nothing wrong with you."

"Well, what if there is? What if I'm the reason we can't have a baby?"

"Alright, I'll schedule an appointment at the hospital so we can find out what's going on. And who knows, maybe I'm the one with the problem. Now I really have to go, I'm teaching a class in five minutes."

"Yeah, OK. I need to get ready for work, too. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

She slowly lifted the phone from her ear and ended the call, another sigh escaping her lips as sadness and worry washed over her. For someone who never wanted kids, she never thought she'd felt that way. Her hand wandered down to her stomach as she wondered if she had some sort of health issue that would unable her and Dipper from ever having children. The thought alone made her feel powerless.

"What's going on in there?" she whispered as she gently rubbed her abdominal area.

* * *

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Pines…"

"It's Northwest." Pacifica corrected. "I kept my maiden name."

"Very well." The doctor replied as he shuffled some papers. "Mr. Pines and Miss Northwest, I wish I had better news."

"What do you mean?" asked Dipper, feeling his hand being squeezed by his wife's.

"I now know why you have been so unsuccessful in your efforts to have children." He said before raising his gaze towards the blonde before him. "Miss Northwest… you're infertile."

That word echoed through her head almost a million times as her heart sank to her feet. She felt like the floor beneath her had collapsed and her whole world was falling into pieces around her. The future she had taken for granted had just been pulled out from under her and the world suddenly felt like a very unsafe and unpredictable place.

"W-what?" Dipper stuttered in disbelief. "Are you sure? Maybe you read the tests wrong!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Pines, but there's no doubt about this." The doctor replied as he sat the papers down on his desk. "Your wife will never have children."

Pacifica kept hearing those three last words over and over as her husband argued with the doctor, not that she was really paying attention of what was happening around her as her eyes began to water up. Nothing more seemed to matter. She had lost all will.

She remained catatonic for the rest of the day, making Dipper worry a great deal. The only thing he heard from her as they made their way back home was her breathing. It almost felt like every other organ had ceased to function. It was extremely unsettling.

After an uncomfortably silent car ride they finally arrived at their apartment complex, and Dipper had never felt so uneasy to get home. Pacifica was still silent and avoided all eye contact with him as they rode the elevator to their floor, and she rushed past him as fast as she could as soon as he opened the door, making a beeline for their room and slamming the door behind her after entering.

Dipper took his time locking the front door. He knew she had lot going through her head and needed some alone time to sort it all out. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for a woman to find out she doesn't possess the ability to reproduce.

He moved towards the coat rack by the door to hang his coat, when he heard a load crashing sound coming from inside their room. He nearly ran towards the door and swung it open, his rapidly beating heart easing up a bit as he saw Pacifica standing over a broken lamp, which she had undoubtedly thrown onto the floor in an act of rage.

She fell to her knees and buried her face in her palms as she began to sob loudly. Dipper quickly made his way towards his wife and knelt down next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she continued to cry against his chest.

"It's OK." He whispered soothingly into her ear. "Everything's going to be fine."

"No, it's not!" she replied, raising her head to look into her husband's eyes. "It will never be fine! _We_ will never be fine!"

"Sure we will." He said as he gave her a reassuring smile. "This isn't the end of the world."

"It sure feels like it." She sniffled, laying her head back against his chest. "I mean, I know I didn't really want kids to begin with, but… I was actually excited to become a mother."

"I understand." He sighed as he soothingly ran his fingers through her hair. "But just because you can't have children doesn't mean we can't be parents. There are other ways."

"If you're suggesting we get some girl to act as a surrogate for us, forget it. I've read too many testimonies about how those decide to keep the babies in the end because they claim them as their own."

"Actually, I was thinking about adoption."

Pacifica raised her head once more to face her husband, the expression on her tear-washed face a mix of shock and confusion.

"Adoption?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Dipper grinned. "There's loads of orphans out there waiting for a second chance. Not only would we be fulfilling a need, we'd also be performing a good deed."

Pacifica gazed down at the floor in thought. Sure, adopting a child wouldn't be the same as giving birth to one, but that didn't mean she couldn't love it any less. It did seem like a perfectly reasonable solution.

"OK." She replied weakly after a minute, giving Dipper a small smile. "I guess we could try that."

"Attagirl." Dipper replied, softly kissing his wife's forehead. "Tell you what, why don't we go visit the local orphanage tomorrow?"

"I'd like that." She said as her smile grew. She pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Thank you."

Dipper didn't respond, he simply returned the embrace and let her have the reassuring silence she needed.

* * *

"I'm so glad to see some new faces around here! I can't remember the last time I saw a married couple in here."

The head of the orphanage lead Dipper and Pacifica through the empty hallways and towards the playroom where the children currently were gathered. They were rather impressed by the overall look of the institution. They had heard so many people complaining about how orphanages were basically prisons for babies and had little to no conditions to care for the elevated number of children they housed, so this was definitely a good change.

They were both rather nervous to meet the children. In a way, they were worried about what the little ones would think of them and how they would act around them. Would they like them? Would they think they would be suitable parents? Those were the questions swimming around their heads as they reached the door that lead into the playroom.

"Mr. Lannister…" Dipper nervously called the middle-aged man before him as he took hold of Pacifica's hand. "I think I speak for both my wife and myself when I say how thankful we are for granting us this visit in such short notice, but… I gotta say, we're both a bit nervous."

"That's alright. Most couples feel like that on their first visit." Mr. Lannister replied with a smile. "But I can assure you there's nothing to worry about. And please, call me Ralph."

With one easy the push the doors to the playroom swung open, and at the same time the young couple's eyes grew big in amazement. They had expected to see a big number of children, but this many in the same place.

The playroom was teeming with kids, from as young as three years old to as old as sixteen, some running around screaming and chasing one another and others playing quietly on the floor. It was a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

"Well, here they are." Said Ralph as he gestured towards the inside of the room. "Go ahead inside and take a look."

Dipper and Pacifica exchanged uneasy glances before stepping into the room. There were so many children, they had no idea where to start.

"I feel like I'm at the mall during sale season. Only I'm getting a kid instead of a pretty dress." Pacifica giggled nervously, cringing immediately afterwards. "Wow, that sounded terrible."

"Don't worry, I'm just as anxious as you." Dipper replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's just look around and see if we can talk to any of the kids."

They walked around the room for a good half hour, scanning the many young faces for any potential adoption candidates. They managed to engage a conversation with a few of the kids and most of them actually seemed to like them, but they were still far from being able to make a decision.

After he had finished chatting with a cheery nine-year-old girl who was playing with some dolls in a corner, Dipper got up and took another glance around the room. He spotted his wife and Ralph over at the other end of the room talking to a chubby toddler which seemed to be around five years old. He smiled to himself when he saw how happy his wife looked. After the horrible news she had received the previous day, it warmed his heart to see her back to her happy self. She seemed perfectly at ease around the children. He had no doubt she would make a terrific mother to one of them.

Turning his head around to see what other kids he could talk to, he happened to notice something that made his smile disappear. Across the room was a little girl in a wheelchair looking out the window, her raven hair glistening in the sunlight that emanated from outside. She was perfectly still, as if mesmerized by the view before her.

Dipper felt his heart tighten with sadness. He could imagine how much she wanted to be able to run through the streets outside. Not only that, he could fathom that a young girl in her condition must've been in the orphanage for quite some time. People might claim they're not biased when wanting to adopt a child, but the ugly truth is that none of them would ever want a crippled one.

"Ralph?" Dipper exclaimed without taking his eyes off the girl. "Could you come over here, please?"

The head of the orphanage didn't take long to reach the brunet, along with Pacifica who had followed him, wondering what her husband might want.

"Yes?" asked Ralph.

"Could you tell me about that little girl by the window?" Dipper said as he pointed towards the aforementioned child, to which Ralph's expression became one of worry.

"Oh, Lucy." He sighed. "She's one of our oldest residents. She's been here since she was five, after the car accident that killed both her parents and rendered her paraplegic. You can guess how many couples have shown an interest in her since she arrived. Needless to say nobody ever wants to take home the blind paraplegic kid."

"She's blind, as well? The poor girl!"

"Yes, she was born that way. But don't let her ailments fool you, she's a very bright girl and a really fast learner. Usually we get members of the staff to read to her, which she really likes. The rest of the kids don't really want to play with her since she can't move very well, so it's an alternate way for her to have some human contact."

"This might be a very insensitive question, but why is she looking out the window if she can't see anything?" Pacifica asked uneasily.

"She likes to feel the heat of the sun on her face." Ralph sighed again. "She's a very special girl. I just wish other people could see that."

Dipper looked back at Pacifica with a heart-broken expression, one which she understood right away. She understood why her husband felt so drawn towards a child with special needs. He felt empathy for that girl, and truth be told, so did she.

"Are you sure?" Pacifica asked quietly.

"Positive." He quickly replied.

"Alright, then." She said as she turned to Ralph. "Could we talk to her?"

"Really?" Ralph beamed. "Of course! Come, come!"

He rapidly lead them towards the young girl, who continued to face the window, and knelt down on her right side.

"Lucy?" he gently called her.

"Ralph?" she asked without turning around. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me." He replied as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I have some people here who want to meet you."

"You do?"

"Yes! Why don't you turn around so you can talk to them?"

With a slight nod, Lucy turned her wheelchair around to face the three. Dipper and Pacifica's jaws almost dropped when they looked into her eyes, which were such a light shade of blue they were almost clear.

"Hello." She greeted them with a smile, her hands folded on her lap. "My name is Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

Pacifica quickly took both her hands up to her mouth to suppress an expression of endearment, to which Dipper just smiled.

"Hello, Lucy." Dipper said as he knelt down in front of the blind girl. "My name is Dipper Pines, and I'm here with my wife, Pacifica Northwest."

"Why didn't your wife take your last name?"

"That's a long story, so I won't bother you with the details." He chuckled. "You seem like a very smart girl. How old are you?"

"Eleven and a half." she replied before lowering her head in a bashful way. "Can I… touch your face?"

"Touch my face?" he cocked a brow.

"Lucy likes to touch people's faces and feels their features. It's a way for her to 'see' through her hands." Ralph explained.

"Oh! Sure, go ahead."

Lucy slowly took her hands up to Dipper's face and carefully began to feel around it. Her hands were very soft and her touch was gentle, suggesting she had done that countless times before.

"Your face is long and you seem to have wide-set eyes." She said as she continued to touch his face. "That suggests you're a very smart man."

"How… how do you know that?" Dipper asked in awe.

"One of the helpers here once read me a book which explained how to determine a person's personality by their facial features." She smiled as she lowered her hands. "I've been doing it to anybody who would allow me ever since."

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said she was bright!" Dipper told Ralph as he stood up and encouraged his wife to move forward.

"Hi, Lucy!" Pacifica said as she approached the girl. "I'm Pacifica, Dipper's wife."

"Hi, Pacifica." Lucy beamed. "You have a very pleasant voice."

"Oh thank you, sweetie!" she gushed as she lowered herself to the child's level. "I think yours is very nice, too."

"Thank you." She replied and raised her hands. "May I?"

"Of course."

Lucy did the exact same thing as she did with Dipper, feeling every inch of Pacifica's face with her tiny hands.

"You're a very beautiful woman." She concluded. "But you wear too much makeup."

"Told you." Dipper laughed, to which Pacifica frowned.

"But you seem like a very kind-hearted person with a lot of love to give, which not only makes up for any other imperfections you may have, but also makes you very easy to love."

Pacifica didn't respond, she simply looked into the blind girl's bright eyes as her lip trembled and tears started to form in her eyes. This girl had never met her before, yet she had just told her one of the most beautiful things that anyone had ever said about her.

"Thank you, Lucy." she whimpered. "Can I hug you?"

"Yes, please." Lucy replied.

Pacifica gently wrapped her arms around the young girl just as tears began to run down her cheeks, which became even more abundant when she felt Lucy return her embrace.

"You're such a sweet girl…" Pacifica whispered. "You don't deserve all the bad things that have happened to you."

"Thank you." Lucy whispered back. "That's very nice of you."

"You're going to hear a lot more nice things like this, because we're taking you home with us."

"You… you are?" Lucy stammered in disbelief.

"We are." She insisted as she turned back look at her husband. "Right?"

Dipper glanced over at Ralph, who looked like he was about to start crying as well.

"I'll draw up the paperwork." He said as he rubbed an eye.

"You hear that, Lucy?" Dipper asked excitedly. "You're coming home with us!"

Lucy's expression was hard to read; she seemed like she was still processing that new information. Dipper and Pacifica began to worry that they might've taken things too fast, when all of a sudden Lucy began to cry. Dipper hurried to her side as he and Pacifica grabbed each of Lucy's hands.

"I-I'm sorry." She said between sobs. "I just… I thought I'd never have a family again." She wiped her nose with her hand and smiled. "Thank you."

"It's OK, don't worry." Dipper said in a soothing tone as he ran a hand through her hair. "Everything's alright."

"Lucy, I'm going to have to borrow your new parents for a few minutes so they can sign some papers." Ralph declared as he placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Will you be OK on your own for a while?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." She grinned with a sniffle. "But hurry back, OK?"

"Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it." Dipper assured her with a wink, immediately wondering why he had done that if she couldn't see.

As he and his wife followed Ralph out the playroom and down the hallway towards his office, Pacifica remembered something crucial she had neglected to think about before.

"Dipper, I just realized something!" she whispered so the head of the orphanage couldn't hear her. "We both have full-time jobs and Lucy clearly needs constant vigilance. And not only that, but she'll also have to be homeschooled! How are we going to manage that?"

"Don't worry, I had already thought of that, and I know just the person who can help us." Dipper declared as he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number and took the phone up to his ear. "Hello, great-uncle Ford? It's Dipper. Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, are you still looking for an apprentice?"

* * *

"Now, the main thing you need to remember about a hydra is that if you cut one off the heads, two will grow in its place."

Lucy nodded with a grin. She had been hearing Ford go on about monsters and other supernatural creatures for what felt like hours, but she didn't want him to stop. He had been giving her math lessons through braille all morning when he happened to mention he used to hunt down supernatural beings to study them, so when she asked him to teach her a bit about that topic, he jumped right to it, and now it didn't seem like he would be stopping very soon.

"And then there's the man-bear-pig, which can –" Ford immediately stopped talking when he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh my, have really been talking about supernatural creatures this long? Darn, I've gone completely off topic!"

"I was enjoying it." Said Lucy. "Those beings seem really interesting."

"They are, but your parents will be here to pick you up any minute and we're not even halfway through today's lesson plan." He released a small chuckle as he took a seat next to the little girl. "This is your own fault, you know. Why did you have to be such a good listener?"

"Why did you have to be such a good speaker?" She giggled.

"Oh, you're way too smart for your own good!" He laughed.

They laughed together oblivious to the fact that Dipper and Pacifica were hiding behind the doorway as they watched them, trying desperately to suppress their own laughter.

"Should we go in there?" Pacifica whispered between muffled giggles.

"Give them a few more minutes." Dipper replied. "They seem to really be enjoying each other's company."

Pacifica smiled widely and planted a kiss on her husband's cheek, which almost made him lose his balance and fall into the room.

"What was that for?" he chuckled as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"For being such a great guy. And because I love you."

Dipper smiled and pulled her into a proper kiss, after which he wrapped an arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder as they watched their adopted daughter and Dipper's great-uncle chatting happily, feeling perfectly content with how their lives had turned out.


End file.
